Prior Park Landscape Garden

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Prior Park Landscape Garden is a beautiful and intimate 18th-century landscape garden in Bath with stunning views across the city. 2022 will see the completion of a major restoration project on its historic dams.

One of only four Palladian bridges of this design in the world can be crossed at Prior Park, which was created in the 18th century by local entrepreneur Ralph Allen, with advice from 'Capability' Brown and the poet Alexander Pope.

The historic dams at Prior Park have recently undergone a major restoration. Built in the mid-1700s, both time and the destructive American signal crayfish took their toll on these structures and the dams needed major and expert attention.

With the construction phase of the project now complete, visitors can once again enjoy reflections of the Palladian Bridge in the middle lake, which has been empty since 2017. During the project the dams were strengthened, the lakes refilled, paths reinstated, and a small cascade is working once again – a long-lost original feature.

In the autumn the final phase of the project will get underway as over 4,000 shrubs are planted.

During school holidays there are activities in the garden for families. The Tea Shed is open for refreshments each weekend and on selected days during the school holidays – please check the website for up to date information.

Set in a sweeping valley above Bath, visitors can enjoy magnificent views and are a stone's throw away from the Bath Skyline walk - a six-mile circular route encompassing beautiful woodlands and meadows, an Iron Age hill fort, Roman settlements, 18th-century follies and spectacular views.